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Economy – $4.5b hole in National’s KiwiSaver policy would mean more public service cuts – PSA

Source: PSA

PSA analysis shows National failed to tell the whole story of KiwiSaver promise.
National’s policy to make KiwiSaver compulsory and increase employee and employer contributions to 6% would result in $4.5b of unfunded extra costs that government organisations and funded sector providers would have to meet from existing budgets.
New PSA analysis shows National’s policy only allows for the cost of bringing workers who currently are not in KiwiSaver into the scheme, not the cost of increased employer contributions for existing workers, leaving a $4.5b funding hole (see attached analysis).
The PSA is New Zealand’s largest union, representing workers across the public sector and funded sector.
“The PSA has consistently supported higher employer contributions to workers’ KiwiSaver, but it shouldn’t mean more cuts to public services, and this is exactly what our analysis shows is inevitable to plug the hole,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“National has not been upfront with New Zealanders about the true cost of its KiwiSaver election promise.
“National’s KiwiSaver policy does not provide the funding publicly funded organisations would need foot the bill. Its policy factsheet implies that government organisations would need to find the money out of their existing budgets.
“Public services have already faced deep cuts under this government as it ploughed money into tax cuts for landlords, business and big tobacco. There is no $4.5b money pot just sitting around to fund KiwiSaver contributions.
“This is not chicken feed – $4.5 billion is around 80% of the entire spending on Defence in the current financial year.
“National’s $4.5b funding hole would mean even more cuts to public services and more job losses in the public service, health and education. And that’s on top of the 9,000 jobs National is promising to cut over the next three years if re-elected.
“That’s why we need to change the Government – we can’t afford another three years of a Coalition hell bent on cutting the public services New Zealanders rely on.
“As the election approaches, voters need honest answers on this policy – National must go back to the drawing board and present a KiwiSaver policy that doesn’t boost savings at the expense of public services,” said Fitzsimons.
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
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Advocacy – ACT party leader David Seymour’s “crocodile tears” for hypothetical children at protest in Wellington toy shop

Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

1 July 2026 – PSNA is accusing ACT Party leader David Seymour of crying “crocodile tears” for children who may have been present at a Palestine solidarity protest at a toy store in Wellington this afternoon.

Seymour was launching a policy on toy safety. Video of the protest is here: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/protesters-disrupt-david-seymour-announcement-in-toyworld-store-police-called/7E5SMVNHXBACDFFF2RLZFLJJFI/

Seymour’s Senior Private Secretary Rachel Beauchamp wrote to PSNA immediately after the protest to complain that if children had been at the toy store it could have been “frightening and distressing” for them.

“We disagree” says PSNA National Spokesperson Rinad Tamimi. “The problem here is not hypothetical children who could have been upset.”

“The real problem is Palestinian children Israel is targeting and killing in Occupied Gaza and the West Bank, with not a murmur of protest from Mr Seymour.”

The United Nations Independent Commission on Palestine released a report last week, which included detailed testimony of the deliberate targeting of Palestinian children by Israeli soldiers in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank.

“The report is horrific reading”, says Tamimi. “It says more than 20,000 children have died so far in Gaza, and more than 40,000 are wounded.  These are real children who will never be able to visit a toy store ever again.  The report should shock to the core any decent human being.”

“If Seymour had spent just a few minutes reading the report, even just the summary, he would condemn Israeli soldiers and sanction Israel.”

Doctors on medical missions in Gaza reported to the Commission that it appeared Israeli Defense Force soldiers were engaged in a “game” of target practice with “different body parts being targeted on different days.

UN Commission member Chris Sidoti has stated “Anyone who has served in the Israeli Forces in Gaza since October 2023 should be considered a suspect in relation to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of genocide.”

“We agree.  And that includes some 50 New Zealanders who serve in the IDF.”

“We are asking Seymour if he joins with New Zealanders in condemning Israel’s deliberate targeting of children, and if he will act on Chris Sidoti’s evidence and stop the free flow of Israeli soldiers here, and instead ban them from Aotearoa New Zealand,” says Ms Tamimi.

Rinad Tamimi
National Spokesperson
PSNA.

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Health NZ withdraws botched restructure impacting frontline hospital services – PSA

Source: PSA

Health New Zealand has been forced to withdraw a dangerous restructure of frontline health roles across the Midland / Te Manawa Taki district after the PSA and other unions exposed fundamental flaws in the proposal.
Health NZ has acknowledged concerns raised regarding the quality of the restructuring documentation and agreed to withdraw the proposed consultation document.
“Health workers who were proposed to lose their jobs will be receiving letters saying that their roles are no longer proposed to be disestablished and that the proposal will not be going ahead.
“This is a win for critical health workers and for patients who would have been impacted, but it should never have come to this,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“Health NZ put out a restructure proposal impacting nearly 100 roles that was so riddled with gaps and errors that it was impossible for workers to assess what was actually being proposed and how they were impacted. Some workers were not even told their roles were affected. Some roles proposed to go were not in fact being axed.
“This is the direct result of the Government continuing to force Health NZ into rushed restructuring to meet arbitrary cost-cutting targets. This latest botched change follows 2,800 jobs already axed across the public health system.
“You can’t design a sound proposal when you are under pressure to slash costs and the people with the institutional knowledge to do it properly have already been shown the door in earlier rounds of cuts.
“We understand that Health NZ will still seek to make some structural change, we have committed to engage constructively in this process.
“All this could have been avoided if the Government properly funded health in the first place instead of choosing to cut taxes for landlords and big tobacco.”
Background on change proposal
– The restructure aimed to centralise clinical leadership and administration functions across 11 hospitals in Taranaki, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Tairāwhiti.
– 96 roles were proposed to be cut with thirty vacant roles also axed.
– In their place, 108 new roles would have been created, resulting in a net loss of 17 roles.
– Staff would have to re-apply for the new roles with no guarantee of success and risk being placed in new roles at lower pay.
Previous PSA statement
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
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BusinessNZ – Health and safety reforms put the focus where it belongs

Source: BusinessNZ

BusinessNZ welcomes the passing of the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill, saying the changes will help create a clearer, more practical system while maintaining every employer's responsibility to provide a safe workplace.
Chief Executive Katherine Rich says BusinessNZ's support for the legislation followed extensive consultation with small businesses across New Zealand.
“We didn't reach this position lightly. Through our nationwide small business focus groups, our Reducing Compliance Burden on New Zealand Small Businesses report, and MBIE's own nationwide health and safety roadshow, we heard a consistent message.
“Small businesses support good health and safety. They want to keep their people safe. What they have struggled with is a system that has become unnecessarily complex and difficult to apply in low-risk workplaces.”
Rich says the reforms rightly place greater emphasis on managing critical risks, while preserving the fundamental duty on every employer to provide a safe and healthy workplace.
“This is not about lowering standards or reducing employer responsibility. Every business continues to have a clear duty of care to protect its workers.
“What changes is that small, lower-risk businesses can spend less time on unnecessary paperwork and more time identifying and managing the risks that genuinely matter.”
BusinessNZ says a stronger focus on practical guidance and proportional regulation should improve compliance.
“When the rules are clearer and easier to understand, businesses are more likely to engage with them. Good health and safety is about understanding real risks, not ticking boxes.”
Rich says BusinessNZ will continue working with government, regulators and businesses to ensure the reforms are implemented in a way that delivers safer workplaces alongside a more practical regulatory system.
“The best health and safety system is one that businesses understand, workers trust, and that keeps people safe every day.”
The BusinessNZ Network including BusinessNZ, EMA, Business Central and Business South, represents and provides services to thousands of businesses, small and large, throughout New Zealand.
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Legislation – Business Canterbury welcomes changes to health and safety legislation

Source: Business Canterbury

Business Canterbury welcomes the passing of the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill today, which closes out one of the three key legislative changes the government is making in what we call the ‘trifecta’ of red tape reduction (also including Holidays Act reform and Resource Management Act reform).

Business Canterbury Chief Executive, Leeann Watson says, “The common sense changes the Government has made to health and safety legislation today respond to concerns the business community has had for years.”

“The current system places too much emphasis on tick boxing and paperwork, rather than helping businesses focus on managing the risks that can cause serious harm.

“Inconsistent processes and enforcement action being undertaken by WorkSafe also created an adversarial relationship with the business community, which was not necessarily conducive to positive health and safety outcomes.

“From April next year, businesses will now have much greater clarity on expectations and best practice – which will move them away from box ticking and paperwork generation to a real focus on minimising critical risks.”

Business Canterbury will provide its members with support in the transition period, and will advocate this election year to ensure that the next government honours the substantive changes made through the better recognition of Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs), the prioritisation and definition of critical risk, and a refocus on an ‘education first’ operating model for WorkSafe.

Business Canterbury, formerly Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, is the second largest Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand and the largest business support organisation in the South Island. It advocates on behalf of its members for an environment more favourable to innovation, productivity and sustainable growth.

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Health and Education – Substandard school lunches: ‘Our tamariki deserve better’

Source: Health Coalition Aotearoa

A damning Audit Office report on the Healthy School Lunches Programme is in line with research by experts from Health Coalition Aotearoa.
The report delivered to Parliament on 30 June found the cut-price programme, ordered by Associate Education Minister David Seymour in 2024, has made savings but has had multiple issues with the procurement process, food quality, waste and monitoring.
The Ministry of Education’s monitoring found, in 2025, only half of the school lunches met nutritional standards.
“Yes, there were cost-savings with the School Lunch Collective’s cut-price school lunch programme, but Minister Seymour did not talk about the ‘effectiveness’ side of the ‘cost-effectiveness’ equation,” says Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Professor Boyd Swinburn, a researcher on population nutrition at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.
“There was no evaluation of effectiveness – the last version, Ka Ora Ka Ako, was heavily evaluated and came out showing significant improvements on nutrition, school attendance, quality of life and full tummies.”
Swinburn led one evaluation finding the original Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme rated extremely well against its primary outcomes of alleviating hunger in schools, providing healthy meals, improving mental health, reducing financial burden, increasing mana, and strengthening local economies. Read more.
This is in a context where a report out this morning (1 July) found one in six households are living in income poverty after housing costs, just over one in ten have to go without essential items regularly, and one in three households experienced food insecurity in the last year. ( NZ Council of Christian Social Services report 1 July 2026.)
An analysis found that students in Aotearoa who go hungry due to lack of money, even just once a week, are two to four years behind in their achievement scores compared to students who never go hungry. (See McKelvie Sebileau P, Swinburn B, Seymour J: Frontiers in Education Jan 2025.)
The strong focus on cost-cutting has led to multiple problems, Swinburn says.
The Ministry's data for meals assessed in 2025 showed that on average only 50.5% of the School Lunch Collective meals complied with the nutrition standards, the Audit Office report says.
However, public health and nutrition researchers at Health Coalition Aotearoa tested school lunches in 2025 and found the meals were very low in energy (kJ), providing approximately half of the energy expected for a school lunch and 30 to 40 percent less than lunches provided under the previous Ka Ora Ka Ako model.
“Of the 13 meals that could be analysed against at least one of the Nutrition Standards, none met all standards for all age groups,” the researchers said in a PHCC briefing.
“Based on available information, the School Lunch Collective is delivering substandard lunches to children, which is a major breach of their contractual requirements,” the researchers said.
Dr Kelly Garton, a food policy spokesperson for Health Coalition Aotearoa and senior research fellow in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland comments that the report finds the programme was unfairly procured, ignored risks with the suppliers, one of which went into liquidation, and has not been properly measured, monitored and managed.
“What has been measured shows poor performance on key target outcomes, chiefly that half the lunches, on average, are not meeting the nutrition standards,” says Garton.
“Despite the changes being justified as ways to reduce surplus and waste, neither of these have been managed effectively: surplus (untouched or overdelivered lunches) increased to 17 percent in 2026, despite a contractual limit of 10 percent, and waste (measured in Term 3 2025) was higher for the School Lunch Collective delivery model than internal school-based and iwi models. 
“Schools and students report receiving poor-quality lunches, with many going uneaten due to being unappetising.
“Slashing funding isn't ‘delivering savings’ if you are actively undermining programme delivery,” says Garton.
“Our tamariki deserve better. It's time to revert to proper funding for this essential programme which was delivering excellent value for investment before 2025, according to independent evaluation.”
Health Coalition Aotearoa’s researchers are calling for a properly and permanently funded Ka Ora Ka Ako Healthy School Lunch Programme, paid for from Vote Education.
“We have got to go for version three. We’ve had version one – it was generously funded and had good outcomes,” Swinburn says.
“We have a low-cost version now. It has saved money but has problems that have been highlighted by the Auditor General. Let’s get a version three that works for taxpayers, kids and meets nutritional standards.”
This year, the incoming government must commit permanent Vote Education funding to Ka Ora, Ka Ako healthy school lunch programme at a fair and sustainable level, enabling providers to supply meals that meet at least 25 percent of children’s daily energy needs and dietary guidelines, and offer schools flexible delivery options, HCA’s food researchers say.
It is time to do better for our tamariki, their long-term futures and the future of Aotearoa.
  • HCA is a coalition of member organisations committed to closing the health prevention gap in Aotearoa by advocating for Te Tiriti-led, evidence-based, policies that reduce consumption of harmful products and increase access to health-giving food.
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Universities – Relationship property law needs urgent reform – UoA researchers

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

From children's wellbeing to second relationships, legal experts say New Zealand's relationship property law needs urgent reform.

Why are children’s needs often sidelined when relationship property is divided? What happens when a person enters a second marriage with significant assets or an existing family home?

Those questions and more are on the table as legal experts from across the country meet at Parliament to discuss how to reform New Zealand’s Property (Relationships) Act, which many say is no longer fit for purpose.

University of Auckland Law School Professor Mark Henaghan is speaking at the Property (Relationships) Act 1976: Fifty Years On National Conference this Friday, 3 July.

He's been vocal about the need for reform.

He says under the Property (Relationships) Act, children’s needs are rarely at the centre of decision-making.

“The primary caregiver and children are often worse off post-separation. Primary caregivers, usually mothers, can face severe economic disadvantage as the family home – the main asset – is sold to satisfy both parties’ claims. For children, this disrupts their education, support networks and sense of identity.”

Henaghan also points to New Zealand research indicating that in the first year following the end of a relationship, women experience an average 29 percent decline in income, while men see a 15 percent average rise.

“The Act has not delivered on one of its key purposes which is to recognise the equal contributions of partners to a relationship and a key principle that men and women have equal status and their equality should be maintained and enhanced.”

Professor Mark Henaghan, Auckland Law School

The Property (Relationships) Act conference, organised by University of Otago researchers and supported with funding from the Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation, also involves presentations from legal practitioners, including judges from all courts.

Director of Otago’s Children’s Issues Centre Professor Nicola Taylor and fellow Otago family law experts Professor Margaret Briggs and Professor Nicola Peart are leading the conference.

In 2002, the Property (Relationships) Act (the PRA) expanded on the original Matrimonial Property Act 1976, which applied only to married couples. Since then, Peart says it has worked well in many respects, particularly for couples whose first relationship has ended and who built up their assets during the relationship.

However, she says the Act doesn’t work well for second relationships or for couples who come into the relationship with significant assets.

Law Commission finds Act not fit for purpose

A Law Commission review of the Act from 2016-2019 found that it was no longer fit for purpose.

The Commission's 2019 report recommended repeal of the Act and the adoption of a new statute, which would apply only on separation. Property entitlements on death were considered in a separate review of succession law.

Henaghan says the Law Commission made strong recommendations, including changes to how family homes, economic disparity, trusts and asset disclosure are treated, to better reflect modern relationships and reduce lengthy disputes.

So far, the Government has not acted on the Commission’s 140 recommendations.

“In the current climate of uncertainty and the state of the economy, there appears to be little political will to act on the recommendations,” says Peart.

“We hope that by holding this conference in the Beehive, Parliament will be persuaded to take action. Separation and death affect people every day.”

The Honourable David Goddard KC, Chairperson of the Grants and Scholarships Committee at the Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation, says the conference provides an opportunity to reflect on the Act 50 years after its enactment and to discuss its future.

“By bringing together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, this conference will help advance understanding and evidence-based reform of a law that has profound consequences for separating couples, families and children.”

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NZNO says Independent inquiry into death at Waikato ED needed

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Te Whatu Ora’s inability to answer basic questions about staffing levels shows an independent inquiry into the tragic death of a patient in the Waikato emergency department must be held, NZNO says.
Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter says NZNO’s thoughts and condolences are with the whānau of the man who died.
“New Zealanders need to know their local emergency departments (EDs) have enough staff to provide the health care they need, when they need it.
“Te Whatu Ora’s Midland executive regional director Cath Cronin refused to say this morning whether the ED was understaffed on Monday night. The public deserve better than obfuscation,” Paul Goulter says.
NZNO had spent 20 months in bargaining raising concerns that short staffing is putting patients at risk, he said.
“After 20 months of their concerns being brushed off, our members have little confidence in Te Whatu Ora reviewing its own processes.
“The independent inquiry must also look at funding levels and whether the hospital has adequate funding to staff the ED.
“Health Minister Simeon Brown says the ‘the family will rightly want answers’. NZNO couldn’t agree more. Those answers must also include whether his Government has deliberately underfunded the hospital to meet their arbitrary cost cutting budget,” Paul Goulter says.
Te Whatu Ora was put on notice over its dangerous short-staffing last year by Coroner Ian Telford following the death of Len Collett in an under-resourced Taranaki Base Hospital in 2020, he says. 
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Appointments – GUARDIANS APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF DATA & ANALYTICS

Source: Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation

The Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, manager of the $93 billion New Zealand Superannuation Fund, has named Anastasia Moskvina as its new Head of Data & Analytics.

Moskvina, who joined the Guardians’ Data & Analytics team in 2022 from the BNZ, has a Masters in Information Technology, Mathematics and Economics from Irkutsk State University and a PhD in Computer Science from the Auckland University of Technology.

Guardians co-Chief Investment Officer Will Goodwin said the Guardians was intent on building data, analytics and AI capability to support better investment outcomes. Moskvina’s expertise in modelling and analysis and her ability to harness data science to meet business needs were ideally suited to this important work.

“Anastasia is already playing a leading role in shaping our thinking on AI and advanced analytics — including AI governance, practical use cases, and how we build scalable capability across the Guardians,” said Goodwin.

“Her appointment reflects the combination of technical ability and leadership qualities she brings to the team.”

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Employment Disputes – Fire and Emergency New Zealand reminds public to be extra careful when strike action takes place

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency New Zealand is warning the public that the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) will be striking today, Wednesday 1 July, between 4.30pm and 5.30pm.
“I want to reassure the public that all 111 calls will be received and responded to during the strike period,” Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler says.
“However, our response times will be delayed in impacted areas as volunteer crews will be responding from the next closest location. So, we are asking the public to remain extra careful.
“Our advice remains the same. If there is a fire, get out early, stay out, then call 111.”
During the one-hour strikes, Fire and Emergency will prioritise emergencies and may not attend less serious incidents, such as private fire alarms where there is no sign of fire, small rubbish fires, traffic-management assistance, and animal rescues.
In addition, Fire and Emergency has established a process with Hato Hone St John and Wellington Free Ambulance for responding to medical events in impacted areas.
“We remain focused on achieving a fair and sustainable settlement with the NZPFU so we can continue working to keep communities safe,” Megan Stiffler says.